by Paul White, USA TODAY Sports

by Paul White, USA TODAY Sports

By adding Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey on Monday, the Toronto Blue Jays continue to make significant moves that help the American League East maintain its longstanding reputation as baseball's strongest division.

It's also rapidly becoming the most intriguing division as well because the balance of power has shifted. Last year's weaker teams clearly have outmaneuvered 2012's winners in the offseason market.

Only Toronto and Boston finished under .500 last season and both are actively trying to rectify that. The Blue Jays believe they've not only done enough to add the eight victories they need to reach the breakeven point, but perhaps the 20 wins between them and a playoff berth last season.

It can be done: The Baltimore Orioles improved by 24 wins from 2011 to 2012.

Dickey agreed to a two-year, $25 million contract extension Monday, making his trade from the New York Mets official pending a physical. The Blue Jays also acquired catcher Josh Thole and a minor leaguer. In return, the Mets got top catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud, highly regarded minor-league pitcher Noah Syndergaard, veteran catcher John Buck and another minor leaguer.

The Blue Jays might need nametags the first day of spring training. In addition to Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle also join the rotation, Jose Reyes takes over as shortstop and leadoff batter, Emilio Bonifacio is the new second baseman and Melky Cabrera the left fielder.

Add a return to health by two-time home run champion Jose Bautista â?? limited by injury to 92 games last season â?? plus the return from shoulder problems by likely closer Sergio Santos, and the 90-or-more-win AL East teams in New York, Baltimore and Tampa should take note.

The Red Sox, whose 93 losses through a tumultuous summer were four more than Toronto's, also have been active.

They re-signed DH David Ortiz, added outfielders Shane Victorino and Jonny Gomes, shortstop Stephen Drew, starting pitcher Ryan Dempster, catcher David Ross and reliever Koji Uehara. And Mike Napoli could be the first baseman, though general manager Ben Cherington says Napoli's free-agent deal has been held up by an undisclosed issue that came to light the day after Napoli's physical.

That list might not include a major impact signing, but Boston could be buoyed by healthy seasons from starter John Lackey, closer Andrew Bailey and center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury.

The division's top three teams from 2012 have had a much quieter offseason, perhaps why Toronto made such a strong push to improve. Trading a prospect the caliber of d'Arnaud is out of character for general manager Alex Anthopoulos, but apparently the Blue Jays recognize that the traditional AL East powerhouses have rarely been so vulnerable.

The defending division champion New York Yankees brought back free-agent starter Hiroki Kuroda and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki on short-term deals. Signing Kevin Youkilis for one year merely plugs the hole created by the hip surgery that will keep third baseman Alex Rodriguez out of the lineup until midseason or beyond.

While they're always a threat to make a significant move, the Yankees are intent on getting their payroll under the $189 million luxury tax threshold by 2014. They already are at that figure for next season.

Baltimore, the surprise of the division in 2012 with its first playoff berth in 15 years, has stood pat. But the Orioles return most of last year's club and still have plenty of payroll room to fill in around emerging stars such as third baseman Manny Machado and pitcher Dylan Bundy. Plus, they're expecting a boost from pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada, who missed all of last season after being signed from Japan. His return from elbow surgery should come during the first half of the season.

Tampa Bay's moves coming off a 90-win season that was three games short of the playoffs have been typical of the gambles the low-revenue Rays must take to remain a contender. Their vaunted minor league pitching pipeline will be pressed to fill the 222 innings James Shields has averaged the past six seasons.

But the trade of Shields and starter Wade Davis to Kansas City added right fielder Wil Myers, one of baseball's top hitting prospects, though likely won't reach the majors until a couple of months into the season to delay starting his clock toward arbitration eligibility and free agency.

Otherwise, Tampa Bay's big signing is first baseman James Loney, another stab at what manager Joe Maddon calls acquiring players "in that sweet spot where we like to get guys who have maybe underachieved."

This offseason, though, it's Toronto that has overachieved with a series of moves that caused the rest of the division to take notice. It's not often traditional powerhouses such as the Yankees and Red Sox find themselves threatened by a 73-win team, but the AL East has become a most intriguing place.